Plastic bottles, cans and the 20p deposit scheme – how will it get more of us to recycle?

Despite being recyclable, billions of bottles and cans end up in landfill every year – deposit return schemes aim to change this. Photograph: Tom Werner/Getty Images

Despite all our good intentions when it comes to recycling, billions of drinks bottles and cans still end up in UK landfills each year. It seems that if it’s not easy for us to dispose of plastic, glass and cans in a sustainable way, many of us simply throw our waste into the nearest bin.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 4bn plastic drinks bottles, 2.7bn cans and 1.5bn glass bottles are not recycled annually in the UK. So how can people be persuaded to stop ditching their drinks containers with barely a thought for the future of the planet?